Pictures of different homes and houses
Blue prints of homes and houses
Lincoln longs
Magazines about homes and houses
Books about homes and houses
Foam Shapes
Legos
Large Boxes
Cardboard Brick Blocks
Sand Castle Molds
Tool Belt (Age appropriate)
Tool Box (Age appropriate)
Tools (Age appropriate)
Construction Hat
Construction Cones
Doll house, furniture, etc
Barn, animals, etc
Pretend bird nest, birds, eggs
Small cardboard boxes, empty paper towel holders and toilet roll holders
Sea shells
Water Table: foam shapes, small construction cones, plastic hammer, etc.
Sensory Table: moon sand, sand castle molds, shovel, rake, dump truck, etc.
1. Look at pictures of types of homes around the world, draw your favorite type of home
2. Look at pictures of homes and the species they belong to, match them together
3. Draw/paint a picture of your home
4. Play “Little Mouse, Little Mouse, Where is your House? (In advance draw out and laminate 1 small mouse and 1 house shape (each of different color). Make sure your mouse is SMALLER than the house shape!Tell the children they are going to help find the hibernating mouse! Tell the children to close and cover their eyes! You hide the mouse under one of the houses. Tell the children to look now. Ask them to join with you in saying “Little Mouse, Little Mouse, where is your house?” Ask one child which house you should look under. (Encourage them to NAME the color, not just point, to reinforce color recognition*). ”Little Mouse, are you under the orange house?” Have the child lift up the orange house. “NO! Where could she be?” Continue with each child until found. Keep playing until every child has had a turn.
5. Look at pictures and go over the different shapes of houses. Match houses to shapes (ex. typical house/square or rectangle, teepee/triangle, igloo/half circle, etc.)
Teaching Concepts for Small Group
1. Draw/paint a picture of your home
2. Make a house using playdough
3. Stack blocks to build a “home”
4. Draw your own blueprints
5. Trace tools on piece of paper, have children match the tools to the outline
6. Pretend play with a doll house, furniture, etc. What all goes in a house?
7. Home collage
8. Glue different foam shapes on piece of paper to make a house
9. Use ice cubes to build a house
1. Build a home with blocks, knock it down
2. Set up construction site using cones, dress up in construction worker clothes and pretend play
1. The Family in the House (tune: Farmer in the Dell)
The fathers in the house
The fathers in the house fa la la la la la la
The fathers in the house
The father takes the mother
the father takes the mother fa la la la la la la
The mother takes the brother
The mother takes the brother fa la la la la la la
The brother takes the sister
The brother takes the sister fa la la la la la la
The sister takes the baby
The sister takes the baby fa la la la la la la
The baby takes grandma
The baby takes grandma fa la la la la la la
Grandma takes grandpa
Grandma takes grandpa fa la la la la la la
2. In and Out the Doors (tune: Go In and Out the Window)
Step in and out the front door. (take a step forward, then back)
Step in and out the front door.
Step in and out the front door.
Then make a doorbell sound. (say “ding dong”)
Jump in and out the back door. (jump forward, then back)
Jump in and out the back door.
Jump in and out the back door.
Bend down and touch the ground. (touch ground with hand)
Slide in and out the side door.(slide to one side, then other)
Slide in and out the side door.
Slide in and out the side door.
And then turn all around. (turn around)
Step in and out the front door.
Jump in and out the back door.
Slide in and out the side door.
Then sit yourself right down. (sit down)
3. Old McDonald Had A House (tune: Old McDonald Had A Farm)
(substitue animals with parts of a house)
4. Home! Sweet Home!
‘Mid pleasures and Palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home!
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there,
Which seek through the world, is ne’er met with elsewhere.
Home! Home, sweet sweet Home!
There’s no place like Home! There’s no place like Home!
.An Exile from Home, Splendour dazzles in vain!
Oh! Give me my lowly thatch’d Cottage again!
The Birds singing gaily that came at my call,
Give me them with the peace of mind dearer than all!
Home! Home, sweet sweet Home!
There’s no place like Home! There’s no place like Home!
To thee, I’ll return overburdened with care,
The heart’s dearest solace will smile on me there.
No more from that cottage again will I roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.
Home! Home, sweet sweet Home!
There’s no place like Home! There’s no place like Home!
5. Colorful Houses
Blue house, Blue house what do you see?
I see a yellow house next to me.
Yellow house, yellow house what do you see?
I see a pink house next to me.
Pink house, pink house what do you see?
I see a brown house next to me.
Brown house, brown house what do you see?
I see a green house next to me.
Green house, green house what do you see?
I see an orange house next to me.
Orange house, orange house what do you see?
I see a red house next to me.
Red house, red house what do you see?
I see a RAINBOW of houses all around me !!
Teaching Concepts for Fingerplays
1. In This House
In this house there is a room (outline a house)
And in this room there is a bed (put hands beside head)
And in this bed lies a little teddy bear with a real bad cold
is (her/his) head. Achoo! (pretend to sneeze)
With a real bad cold in his head. Achoo! (pretend to sneeze)
2. Houses
Here is a nest for a robin. (cup hands)
Here is a hive for a bee. (make fist with one hand, wrap other hand around it)
Here is a hole for a bunny (make circle with thumb and index finger)
And here is a house for me. (put arms above head with fingers touching at an angle)
3. A Good House
This is the roof of the house so good. (make roof with hands)
These are the walls that are made of wood (hands straight, palms parallel)
These are the windows that let in the light. (thumbs and forefingers form windows)
This is the door that shuts so tight. (hands straight by side)
This is the chimney so straight and tall. (arms up straight)
Oh! What a good house for one and all!
4. Different Homes
A sparrow’s home is a nest in a tree (cup one hand, palm-up; perch other hand on edge)
An octopus’ home is a cave beneath the sea (hook thumbs together; wiggle fingers)
In a hole in the ground a little rabbit hides, (close fingers around thumb; slowly lift thumb, straighten, bend a little)
A sunflower is where a little gnome resides (palm flat, spread fingers, palm-up; perch other hand in center)
A hollowed-out log is for the porcupine (place cupped palm palm down on table; move other fist inside)
But the best home of all is the one that’s mine! (point to chest)
5. I Have a House Chant
I have a house
This big (show how big your house is vertically),
this big (show how big your house is horizontally)
And from the chimney comes out the smoke
Like this, like this, like this (take one hand and show spirals of smoke by waving in the air)
(Start out with small motions for a small house. Get progressively bigger and louder each time you do the chant.)